I’ll admit it: I did not choose to take the course “Facing History and Ourselves.” Quite honestly, I was very disappointed to learn that neither of my first-choice electives could fit any more students, and my remaining options were few. However, by sitting in my “Facing History and Ourselves” classroom for the last few months almost every day, I can positively state that there is no other class I would have rather taken; this course immediately opened my eyes and changed my perception of the world around me. Through class discussions, films, and articles, the course “Facing History and Ourselves” has challenged me to think critically and question every source, to be confident in who I am and what I believe in, and to be a more conscientious person in society by not being a bystander in any situation.
By reading numerous articles and being introduced to the different opinions in them, I’ve gained a solid understanding of the importance of seeking the truth. As well as gaining an appreciation of understanding the facts, I also realize the importance of considering personal opinions at the same time. In this class, the importance of seeking the truth was stressed almost every day, and it applied to every situation in which truth was involved. I liked seeing the Nazi propaganda examples and analyzing the picture of the typical Jewish figure on the poster- by viewing these sources, it became a lot clearer to me HOW to find meaning out of a source as well as criticize the source too. I no longer am so quick to believe the information in every source that I come across, and I definitely take bias a lot more into account when analyzing a source and forming my own opinions. From taking this class, I’ve gained an appreciation for seeking the truth, but also for accepting different opinions about the truth and valuing their differing viewpoints that they offer. I think this idea will stay with me for the rest of my life- obviously the truth has always been important, but this class stressed the significance of seeking the truth as a life-long responsibility.
“Facing History and Ourselves” has greatly impacted the way I view myself in society as well. I thought the story The Bear That Wasn’t was a great way to introduce this concept of the importance of self to the class, but the more essential message that I got from it was how easily manipulated and vulnerable people are in general. This idea of being true to oneself and not being easily manipulated by others was also prevalent in our discussions about how Nazis gained power through Hitler Youth programs across Germany- most people were so vulnerable and joined the programs without hesitation; by discussing this, I have a solid awareness of my own self in my own image. Also, one of the most interesting films we watched, I thought, was the Milgram Experiment. I had never seen it before, and I thought it was so interesting how the “teachers” were so obedient to carry out their tasks of shocking the other person behind the wall. I found the results of the modern-day Milgram test shocking that so many people would still instill pain unto others when they are ordered to do so. I could not believe the story of the young worker at the fast food restaurant who was victimized by her co-workers just because of a voice on the other end of a telephone line. Despite how I thought that this condition of obedience was slightly disturbing to watch at times, it made me more aware of the importance of knowing who I am and what morals and ideas I stand for. From this class, I know that I cannot let myself be too easily influenced by others and that I can and will stand up for myself.
The idea of the bystander in relation to the perpetrator and the victim was something that will also stick with me for the rest of my life. In all other history classes, most of the issues were focused on the perpetrator or the victim, but not much on the bystanders. From “Facing History and Ourselves,” I realize that the role of the bystander is just as important, or even more important, than the other two roles because the bystander has the responsibility to do something and make change. I liked the discussions with bullying and the articles we read about bullying because it’s so relevant in our society today, and it really made me think about how I treat people and how I have the power to stand up for something- even if I’m not the target. I absolutely loved watching the movie Freedom Writers in class for this reason. I had never seen the film before and had no idea how powerful it was; instead of the teacher watching the students lives go on the way they did, she actively helped them and did not simply watch them suffer. I really liked how Miep Gies was incorporated into the movie and shown as a hero- she was a woman who was not victimized by the Nazis and had nothing to do with the extermination of the Dutch Jews, yet she helped the Frank family because she decided not to be a bystander. She may not have made any large contributions to the Jewish cause, but she was an example of how anyone can do anything in order to not just simply be a bystander.
“Facing History and Ourselves” was a truly unique class in my high school career, and it influenced me as a person in so many ways through exposure to multiple sources. To me, the main messages of the class were to seek the facts while taking opinions into account, stand up for who you are as a person and not be so easily influenced by others, and lastly, to stress the importance of not being a bystander in situations. Along with these points, I loved the emphasis on the Holocaust studies as well because it connected to everything we talked about and seeing live footage was an incredible experience. The abstract thinking and ideas concerning social topics I learned in this class will stay with me for as long as I live.
